Wu Wenxi is not only busy with official business, but also has a lot of entertainment. Last night was a banquet in East Sichuan Province, and tonight it was a banquet in Bishan County, which came to visit, and invited Futai, Jiangbei Tongzhi and Ba County to accompany him.

Zhang Dejian is a friend and will not be invited. What's more, his son found this place from Yizhen's hometown all the way, and even if he was invited, he wouldn't go. After accompanying his son to dinner, he asked about his hometown for a while, and then he took the examination of his son's studies with a straight face as if he had changed people.

If you don't take the school, you don't know, and you will be disappointed in the school.

"That's it, it doesn't seem to be a piece of reading material!" Thinking that the peace of this war is a blessing, Zhang Dejian didn't want to criticize his son, and while signaling Zhang Shiheng, who was on his knees because he didn't study well, to get up, he said with a little helplessness: "It's nothing if you can't get famous, so you can work for the third master like me in the future." ”

"Dad, I'll listen to you."

"I'm your son, if you don't listen to me, will you listen to others?" Zhang Dejian glared at him with hatred, and then reminded while cleaning up the desk: "Shiheng, you are here as an errand for the third master, you are the family of the third master, don't take a bite of Uncle Han in the future, otherwise people will mistakenly think that your elbow is turned out, and they will think that you eat inside and out." ”

Thinking of calling himself "Young Master Zhang" when he was in Hai'an, and he could only be a family member who ran errands here, Zhang Shiheng couldn't help muttering: "I knew this earlier, I might as well not come." ”

"You don't want to look for me?"

"Dad, it's not that I don't want to come to you, I'd rather be at Uncle Han'......"

How could Zhang Dejian not know what his son thought, and interrupted without waiting for his son to finish: "What did you tell you just now, you are here, where else can you go if you are not on an errand with the third master?" Even if there is a place to go, even if there is something else to do, I can't let you go, otherwise what will the third master think, and what will he think. ”

"Well, I won't mention Uncle Han again."

"It's good to know," Zhang Dejian didn't want his son to think that he was ungrateful, so he thought about it and patted his son on the shoulder: "Shiheng, I know that Han Zhixing is good to you, and he really treats you as a nephew, not only to you, but also to our Zhang family." If he hadn't taken you with him, if he hadn't taken your sister and brother-in-law to the corner in time, I'm afraid I would have sent the white-haired man to the black-haired man. For him, it may be just a gesture, but it is a great kindness to my Zhang family, and we must remember this kindness, but we don't need to always talk about it. ”

"Dad, I thought you didn't know." Zhang Shiheng couldn't help but say.

"If my father didn't even know the truth that the grace of a drop of water should be repaid by a spring, would he still be able to work here with the third master until today?" Zhang Dejian asked rhetorically, and then said: "It's just that our father and son are not only soft-spoken, but they can't repay this kindness if they want to, and they also send people under the fence, so we can only keep it in our hearts first." ”

"Dad, don't be angry, I'm wrong about you."

"You are so sensible, how can Dad be angry." Zhang Dejian sat at the desk and said thoughtfully: "But this incident has reminded me that the Cantonese bandits are naturally not a good thing for the imperial court and those places that have suffered from military disasters, but it is not a bad thing for those who have never met talents, and it can be said that it is a good time to make contributions." ”

Zhang Shiheng reacted and couldn't help laughing: "If it weren't for the bandits, Uncle Han wouldn't have changed from a nine-rank inspection to a five-grade transport deputy in just two months!" ”

"Not only you, Uncle Han, but also Jiang Zhongyuan from Hunan, and Xiang Rong, the minister of the Qincha who is now in charge of Jiangnan's military affairs."

"Dad, are you going to join the army to quell the chaos?"

"People are valuable in self-knowledge, I can't lead soldiers to fight, but I can go to serve in the army, I can do something else," Zhang Dejian didn't want to do this for the rest of his life, so he got up and said: "There is a shortage of people on the master's side, if there is a chance in the future, I will go to the master to serve." ”

Although Wu Wenxi holds the power of Sichuan salt tea, he is only a platform after all.

Wu Wenrong is different, he is a real feudal official.

The more Zhang Shiheng thought about it, the more excited he became, and he couldn't help but say: "Dad, I won't leave my father and son when I go into battle, I'll go with you!" ”

"I'm just a son like you, can I let you go on a dangerous adventure with me?" Zhang Dejian waved his hand, thought about it and said, "What's more, if our father and son are all gone, the third master will definitely not be happy." Listen to me, you are on an errand with the third master, and I will go to work for the eldest master. ”

"But ......"

"Don't do it, it's so decided, and I may not be able to do it." Zhang Dejian didn't want to talk about this topic anymore, and pointed to the stack of salt that had just been taken out of the box: "Help me gather and gather, and send it to Duan Jiqing tomorrow." ”

Yizhen is the same as Yangzhou is the Huai salt distribution center, was captured by bandits before the two Huai salt transportation department of the inspection office is located in Yizhen, Yizhen many people rely on salt to eat salt, rely on the back of salt and even sell private salt for a living. Zhang Shiheng is not only a native of Yizhen, but also went to Hai'an with Han Xiufeng to investigate illegal salt, and he is no stranger to salt introduction, so he subconsciously asked: "Dad, so much salt is all given to Master Duan?" ”

"What's wrong?"

"How much silver is worth so much, do you know the third master?"

"It was sent by the third master, how could he not know." Zhang Dejian paused, and said with a smile: "Sichuan salt is different from Huai salt, don't look at so many seals, in fact, they are all leaks and wastes, and they are not worth much silver." ”

"Why is Sichuan salt different from Huai salt?"

Thinking that his son would have to work as an errand for Wu Wenxi in the future, and he couldn't understand nothing, Zhang Dejian motioned for him to sit down and patiently explained: "As early as before the Yongzheng year, Sichuan, like Lianghuai, was 'giving salt to the ticket', and there were the same merchants and transporters, and there were merchants selling salt in various places, and it was easy to collect taxes, and it was possible to hand over two million taels to the household department every year.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last long, and in the 57th year of Qianlong, the wells dried up, and the stove households and merchants were wiped out, and they were unable to pay the lessons. In order to complete the class, some prefectures and counties agreed to spread the salt and silver into the government and collect it with the local people, and the salt was sold by the people for their own consumption. ”

Zhang Shiheng muttered: "Spread salt into the mu? ”

"Yes, it is to spread salt into the mu, and the main tax items at that time are well class, tax introduction, envy surplus, and envy interception. In the states and counties that do not produce salt, such as Anxian and Ba counties, the surplus of envy, envy and tax introduction are collectively called 'tax envy truncated silver'. ”

Zhang Dejian paused, and then said: "Some states and counties spread salt into mu like this, and some state and county merchants can still be profitable, and they have the spare energy to complete the class, and those state and county officials have no reason to implement salt into mu." But in this way, it will be chaotic, and those merchants and even ordinary people who implement the practice of distributing salt to the mu can buy as much salt as they want, and then sell it to those states and counties that have not implemented the practice of sharing salt into the mu. ”

"This is private salt!" Zhang Shiheng blurted out.

"Therefore, after the imperial court knew about it, Sichuan was not allowed to implement the salt into the mu, but those prefectures and counties that have implemented the salt into the mu have tasted the sweetness. For those state officials, the salt into the mu can not only complete the class, but also collect more to make up for the deficit of the positive endowment, one by one, the yang and the yin violation, the government and even the feudal department in order to complete the correct endowment is also a blind eye, not only failed to ban it, but followed the implementation of the salt into the mu more and more states and counties. ”

"And then?"

"The imperial court is not only worried that the private salt will leak into those states and counties that have not implemented the distribution of salt into the mu, but also worried that the Sichuan salt will leak into the land of Huai salt, not only has it never allowed Sichuan to invite the salt to be sold into the mu three times and twice, but every two or three years it has ordered the governor of Sichuan to even send a messenger to strictly investigate the accumulation of malpractices, but the salt affairs in Sichuan have accumulated so much that it is useless no matter who is sent, so it has been delayed until today."

"Where do these obsolete and omission quotes come from?" Zhang Shiheng asked puzzled.

"Didn't you just say that the salt distribution in the prefectures and counties was not only abolished without the consent of the household department and the saints, but it became more and more intense. But the salt law of the imperial court is still there, so those states and counties have to ask for salt quotations every year while implementing the distribution of salt into the mu, fake the roster of salt merchants and report to the department, and then maintain the rules of monopoly merchants on the face. Zhang Dejian smiled and continued: "That's how the waste drains you see now come from. ”

"Say one thing and do another, and cooperate to deceive the emperor?"

"Therefore, it is difficult to return to the accumulation, so it is said that the salt affairs of Sichuan are almost all decadent."

"What's the use of the old man asking for these waste drains?" Zhang Shiheng asked.

Zhang Dejian explained: "Isn't there still many states and counties that have not implemented salt apportionment into mu, and if there is a ministry, you can go to the salt farm to buy salt, and when you buy salt, you can sell it to those states and counties that have not implemented salt apportionment into mu." Duan Jiqing will not sell salt, but he can transfer these leaks and waste to those salt merchants. ”

Zhang Shiheng thought about it and asked, "Dad, if these salt introductions are transferred to those salt merchants, how much silver can Master Duan make?" ”

"It depends on who you give it to, if it is sold to a salt merchant who specializes in buying and selling illegal salt, it will be worth two or three thousand taels. If it is transferred to salt merchants in states and counties where there is not much illegal salt irritation, it can make 10,000 taels at least. However, compared to the favor owed to Han Zhixing, this bit of waste is really nothing. ”

"That's right, when I think about it, the third master actually didn't spend a tael of silver."

"Don't talk about this, let alone talk about the third master behind your back."

"You know, I won't say any more."

Zhang Dejian nodded with satisfaction, then pointed to the desk and said: "Shiheng, since you know that your Uncle Han treats you well, you have now arrived in Ba County, and you have found me, so you can't help but send him a letter to report your safety." Hurry up and write it, write it and bring it to Duan Jiqing tomorrow, Duan Jiqing will definitely have a way to help you Uncle Han. ”

"Okay, I'll write it."

"You write first, and I'll write it when I'm done. Great grace is not a word of, people have the grace of rebuilding my Zhang family, how can I Zhang Dejian not repair the book and thank you! ”

Thinking of those days in Hai'an, Zhang Shiheng couldn't help but smile and said: "Dad, Uncle Han really didn't think about how to repay us, Uncle Han is really not a person who wants to repay kindness." ”

Zhang Dejian nodded, thought about it and clenched his fists and said: "He doesn't want to repay his kindness, but we can't repay this kindness!" If I can't repay it, I can only rely on you, if you can't repay it, then let the descendants of our Zhang family repay it, I don't believe that my Zhang family didn't turn over the day! ”

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